Authorities moved more than 45,000 people in earthquake-hit Tibet to shelters in a massive rescue operation at the foot of the Himalayas as they wound down the search in a high-altitude environment where the odds of survival were always slim.

A powerful earthquake has rocked the northern foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, killing at least 53 people and shaking buildings in neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and India.

Nine dead as 7.1-magnitude quake felt in Nepal and India - Strong tremors felt in northern India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan